Are there any Christians on Yahoo! Answers who have read "The Da Vinci Code"?

Question

Christians have been incredibly opposed to the book "The Da Vinci Code". Every Christian I have encountered who has said bad things about this book has never read it. How can they possibly say that it is wrong and sacreligious if they don't even know what its contents are? Is it because they believe what they hear? They are told that "The Da Vinci Code" is anti-Christian and that is what they believe. Rather than being informed so that they can intelligently debate the subject, they prefer to be ignorant and judge something that they know nothing about. They don't seem to understand that the book is classified as fiction and the references to Jesus and other Christian subjects pertain to the plot of the book. If they read the book, they would understand that.

I would like to hear from a Christian who has actually read this book instead of stricly believing what they are told. Thoughts, opinions, etc?

I personally am not Christain but read the book and absolutely loved it. I think that Dan Brown is an incredibly talented author and I have wound up reading the rest of his novels and am awaiting the next.

Answer 1

1st off, I have read the book.
Secondly, the issue comes when people who refuse to accept this as fiction (fueled by Dan Brown proclaiming its authenticity) are so adamant about making this fact. After the explosion of popularity of this book, people came up to me saying, "did you know Jesus had a kid?" The problem that Christians see, and I am one, is that this is spreading rumors about Jesus' life that did not occur and could have a damaging effect on the spread of Christianity. A big part of this damaging effect would occur if people started believing in this "sacred bloodline" b/c it would ultimately draw worship away from Jesus, and focus it on finding the descendant of Jesus, and begin worship of that person. There has already been a woman claiming she is a direct descendant of Jesus. This focuses attention away from His teachings, and more on folklore and myth-chasing.

Answer 2

Yeah, I read it, and while you can tell Dan Brown did a lot of research, and had some interesting little factoids, I don't really think he's a very talented writer (weak character development, decent diologue, a little too Fruedian in it's obsession with falic symbols, and some weak logic.)

Personally, I've never minded the idea of Jesus being married, and I already knew about the voting on docrine in Nicea, and believe there was a falling away from many truths in early Christianity. But really, where is the logic that Jesus being married would somehow make him not the son of God. We know he did Human thing (that's why the people in his hometown rejected him), but when I got married, did that suddenly make me not my father's daughter? It just doesn't make sense.

The only thing that would really be proved by knowing that Jesus was married is that the practice of celibacy is probably a little off the charts, and of all the christians in all the world, how many actually practice that? I just don't see what the big deal is.

Answer 3

I have read it and I am a Christian. I believe it is sacreligious to suggest that Christ was married, even in fiction. His mission wasn't to start a lineage but to bring hope to the world. Whether divine or mad, His goal would not have included an earthly attachment like marriage or progeny.

But aside from that, I find it equally offensive as a historian. It distorts history so badly, that in places I had to force myself to keep reading. Good historical fiction either allows you to suspend disbelief or places fictional characters/events in the proper context. Brown accomplished none of this with his mangled interpretation of historical events and an unhealthy dose of occult "history". Besides, the characters are shallow, two dimensional caractures. They talk at one another rather than to each other. They don't develop as the story spins and whirls like Monty Pythons "Marche Futile" sketch.

It is proven that the Priory of Sion is a fictional creation of a mad Frenchman in the 1950s who wanted to glorify himself as being among notables like Da Vinci and Newton.

I have studied the Knights Templar and the Crusadesfor over 15 years now. All of this mad speculation about their secrets, their hidden treasures, and rituals is outright rubbish.

Brown's assessment of how the New Testament came together is also trash. The NT was pretty much compiled as it is today well before the Council of Nicea and the emperor Constantine merely acknowledged what had been standing tradition for a couple of centuries.

Finally, being an Anglophile, I find the notion that the French would have anything to do with even a fictional lineage of Jesus offensive. :)

Answer 4

I have read it. I am a Christian. I do not think that it is controversial in the least bit, it is a work of fiction, with some historical facts about organizations, places, paintings, and people in it. The connections between these groups mentioned in the book are complete speculation, there is no substantial evidence supporting what Dan Brown has written about the circumstances and organizations in the book.

So, as a fictional murder mystery, I enjoyed the book.

Answer 5

I'm a Christian and I did read the book. I thought that it was a very page turning book.

It was obvious though that the author didn't feel that it was fiction other than the characters involved. He even states explicitly that the places, and historical aspects are acurate (which many of them are not as has been pointed out elsewhere).

Do you feel the book was acurate?

Answer 6

non christian sorry but i have read it and held many of the views prior to reading it anyway
i think Dan brown cleverly mixed a few small facts with a lot of fiction .. but enough facts to grip the readers and cause controversy
loved it !!

Answer 7

I read it and saw the movie. I am Christian and I liked it. If it were true i would not mind. Who cares if Jesus was married? There is nothing wrong with that, it just shows he was also a man like us.

Answer 8

Yes, I have read it. And no, I'm not Catholic, but I recognize that many of the "fictional" aspects of the story are very unfavorable to the Catholic church. It is full of inaccuracies. However, it is still a highly entertaining story.

Answer 9

I have and I found nothing wrong with it. People have to understand that it is fiction and once that is understood it becomes a very intriguing book

Answer 10

I am Christian and read the book.
The book is fiction and the author will verify that for you.